RE: Link

Here we go again - I guess the writer is not aware that Dutra had an aspahlt plant in Petaluma (closer to city limits) for 20 years and a temp plant (right across from the Sheraton) for 3 years! No huge decline in tourism and no "stench" layering our town either. Lets get real people!

No kidding! Most folks never even knew it was there! I sure never heard of anyone trying to close THAT plant??? Come on people....let's take a breath (no pun intended) & look at the reality here....unless you plan to walk or pedal to your favorite little bistro after you have commuted on the very asphalt this plant will provide you are creating quite the carbon footprint! WAKE UP!

now when the river is low tide on a hot day, that's a stench!

Taking an existing plant and moving it across the street to be replaced by a new plant with the most up to date pollution control is a win for our environment. Locating it along the river to use barges for transporting raw materials is a win for the environment. The proposed location is ideal -outside city limits, not near any school, etc. And having an active well landscaped business at the entrance to our city will look so much better than what is there now. Schollenberger was never harmed by the existing plant, or by Shamrock, by the freeway 100 yards away which is bumper-to-bumper twice a day, the 50+ cars going in and our of its parking lot each hour, or even by the business center which borders it. No one in Petaluma was even aware of the existing plant, and certainly not offended by any kind of asphalt smell.

I think the plant is a win for Petaluma, Just not for our mayor's campaign.

You guys don't know what you're talking about. So many neighbors complained of the odor and billowing smoke. Just look at the public records! And I also spoke with a woman that believes her son's asthma was caused by this asphalt plant and all of the toxic emissions released by it. This is just one random person I happened to run into, imagine all the others that are out there and many that don't know to correlate the health of themselves or their families to the toxics that these plants release! Wake up people, this plant is only good for those with financial gain at stake. Which is sadly only a small handful!

quote:

Originally posted by heme:
You guys don't know what you're talking about. So many neighbors complained of the odor and billowing smoke. Just look at the public records! And I also spoke with a woman that believes her son's asthma was caused by this asphalt plant and all of the toxic emissions released by it. This is just one random person I happened to run into, imagine all the others that are out there and many that don't know to correlate the health of themselves or their families to the toxics that these plants release! Wake up people, this plant is only good for those with financial gain at stake. Which is sadly only a small handful!

Here is evidence taken directly from the Press Democrat in 2000.

PETALUMA QUARRY CITED FOR AIR QUALITY VIOLATION
Published on October 19, 2000 © 2000- The Press Democrat BYLINE: MARIA BROSNAN LIEBEL Staff Writer

Air quality regulators on Wednesday cited a Petaluma quarry that is experimenting with a new process to make pavement out of old tires.

Dutra Materials suspended its rubberized asphalt operations and scheduled a meeting today with air quality officials to discuss the issue, said Brian Peer, Dutra general materials manager. San Rafael-based Dutra owns four quarries, including one in Petaluma . It is the main supplier of rubberized asphalt in the North Bay , according to Caltrans spokesman Colin Jones.

Jones said Caltrans is required to use recycled tires in road materials.

Dutra is currently supplying North Bay Construction Co., which has a $2 million contract to repave 8 1/2 miles of Highway 1 from the county line north, Jones said.

An air quality inspector issued a violation notice Wednesday following complaints about white smoke and a burning-tire odor, said Lucia Libretti, a spokeswoman for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

Libretti said the smoke is not believed to be hazardous but is considered a nuisance.

She said the company will be fined, but the amount won't be determined until after a background check to see if there have been any other violations.

Amy Dutra said the company has had one or two air quality violations this year, but they were not related to rubberized asphalt.
Dutra is experimenting with a new process that mixes ground-up rubber with hot aggregate, Peer said.